SO MUCH CLOSER

In a voice that is alternately clichéd, naive and spot-on, high-school junior Brooke narrates a novel that explores familiar territory about teenage angst.

For two years, Brooke has been less concerned about her future than she is about Scott, the boy she´s secretly lusted after. Acting on her certainty that they are meant to be together, Brooke attempts to reveal her feelings to Scott. Before she can, Scott announces his family is moving to New York City. Brooke does her research and coincidentally finds that her father, with whom she is not spoken in six years, lives around the corner from Scott’s new home and that if she moves, they will attend the same school during their senior year. Once they finally begin dating, though, Brooke realizes Scott enjoys the physical part of their relationship much more than discovering who she is. Colasanti’s Manhattan is a teenager’s paradise, with late-night rendezvous at sandwich shops, rooftop hideaways and low parental involvement. The contrast between Brooke’s dull New Jersey town and life in the big city will resonate with teens craving a change. Although predictable in its outcome and characterization, this quick read will satisfy those looking for a light beach book.

The escapist setting at least partially makes up for flat characters and a rather ludicrous plot.